ISLAMABAD- The Lok Virsa Friday remained the hub of Independence Day celebrations with a number of attractions provided for the visitors including folk music, puppets and magic shows as well as artisans at work exhibitions and stalls of artwork. The focal point of celebrations, the Virsa CafT not only provides a pleasant environment but a variety of entertainment opportunities that enthrall the visitors the daylong. On Friday, more than a dozen stalls presented to the visitors a variety of masterpieces of traditional and modern arts including portraits of the prominent figures of the movement for independence, hand-made crockery, garments, ornaments and the like. Hundreds of visitors including the foreigners were visiting the stalls, gathering information regarding the masterpieces and buying the ones they deemed more attractive and affordable. Probably it was for the sack of honouring the courage with which the people of the scenic Swat valley stood before the excesses committed to them by the Taliban militants that a large number of visitors were being attracted to the stall where a young artisan was weaving shawls and dopattas made of khaddar with the help of traditional kargah or kaddi. The visitors were not only demonstrating keen interest in the art of weaving the garments but were also buying pieces of weaved cloth. The magic and puppet shows performed by 'Wonder World in the open-air theatre of the Lok Virsa received generous applause from youngsters, both male and female, besides enthralling the baby celebrators. The shows were followed by a gala of folk songs that, too, was a much-enthralling item. Musicians and singers from all the four provinces performed and received warm applause and clapping from the audiences. Major contingents of children could be seen around the monkey, which danced and performed as its master directed. Children were clapping and cheering besides throwing money as token of amusement at the monkey over the funny tricks it performed before them. Display of historic portraits of founder of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and special Independence Day discount offered on Heritage Museum further added colours to the celebrations of the day. Up the green hills, CDA had also arranged a folk music show in the Open Air Theatre in Shakarparian, in which, too, the folk artists from across the country performed. The Shakarparian hillock and the Pakistan Monument too received heavy influx of the enthusiastic youth. The young visitors parked their vehicles at any spot up the way from the Highway Signal to the hillock and danced at the tune of loud music to celebrate the day. In twin cities, the celebrations took start by the midnight of August 13 and one could see hundreds of youngsters come out on bikes and other vehicles on the 7th Avenue, Jinnah Avenue while the Faizabad and Murree Road remained choked with celebrations till late in night.